Monthly Archives: February 2012

To be literate to me has transformed from simply meaning the ability to read and write and has transformed into a base word meaning the ability to perceive , understand and then communicate your understandings. Literate is no longer just for reading and writing but it could mean that. Words like computer, information, emotional, critical thinking, digital, math, etc….. can all be found before literate and all relate to that subject or thought.

Where does one literacy end and another begin?

Are these new forms of literacy so rigid that there is an ending and a beginning? To me I feel like they all simply overlap each other. To be highly literate in one are a person MUST have some form of literacy in another area. For example for a person to be information literate in today’s world they must have a basic form of digital literacy as well as the original form of literacy(reading and even writing.)

As kids get older their passion for reading often times decreases. Could this be due to schools and teachers assigning readings that are of no interest to today’s students? Are the classics outdated for students? I believe the classics are great reads however, although, I was an avid reader in high school I rarely enjoyed the assigned readings. I loved science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction and read on my own. But I did not like reading Shakespeare, Dickens and other great works. Could students be falling victim to a non interest in school materials, which then means to them that all reading is dull?

Patrick Higgins suggests that can be changed. Reading is a social process in which when a book is good its recommended and that process continues on through different people. So why not take that social process and put it online. Create Blogs in which the small group of students whom already enjoy reading would read buzz books. A buzz book is a book that is wildly popular for an age group ie:Harry Potter,Twilight. The students and teachers would then blog about the buzz book. Students who may not generally enjoy reading may change their minds because these books may be of interest to them.

Students need to be allowed to choose books and then they must be able to talk about them. This is how students may learn to enjoy reading and encourage each other to read more!

Bookshare.org is an online library for individuals with print disabilities. It is an amazing concept and service that allows qualifying individuals access to works digitally despite the fact that they may be copyrighted. Not only is this service available it is free to qualifying individuals. Those are individuals that are students or organizations such as schools with disabilities. The service allows individuals to download works even bestsellers to be read using adaptive technologies.

We talk about giving all students an opportunity to learn and succeed but how can we expect that from every student if we don’t have the tools to give them the chance? We need to recognize that there are options like Bookshare out there and we need to utilize them!

It is crazy to think that I am only 22 years old yet I am still new to all of these technologies we are exploring. But I am so happy I am learning because whether I am a teacher(undergrad degree) or a librarian, or any career for that matter these tools can be incredibly useful!

It seems to me that RSS feeds are fairly common and I come upon them often without realizing it. I see them on school websites, facebook, etc.. and they are very helpful. I can see how if you follow several blogs or wikis it would be time consuming to have to check them daily to see if they have been updated. With the RSS feed individuals are alerted when the blog or wiki has been updated. It saves time by having the RSS do the work for you! I feel like setting up a library blog open for students, parents, teachers and administration may be beneficial for getting news out about events that may be scheduled, or updates simply about the library and the collection. The chance of the school community checking the blog often and consistently is probably slim however if the community subscribed to the feed it may be easier to get the information out because the community will be told when to check.

I think that RSS is here to stay, it is a useful tool for personal and professional use that if utilized can make all the difference. For me with web 2.0 technologies the terminology and the acronyms are intimidating but once explained a person can realize how simple, helpful, and worthwhile they can be.